Joel’s Unique Ability

admin — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 01:10:22 +0000

I’m forever asking my clients what they think their unique ability is. You know, that something special that sets you apart from all others. It’s that gift you possess that is so second nature to you that you don’t think it’s anything special. But, it sure is because it makes you truly unique and provides a platform for you to create value for others.

Then It occurred to me that I’ve never really shared mine with them. That doesn’t seem fair. So, here it is. But then you’ve probably already noticed because it’s what I’m all about.

I grow things. Yep, I grow people, things, organizations, ideas and most of all roses. It’s in my blood to want to organize, rearrange, focus and develop just about anything that comes my way into something bigger and better. Case in point, the BYU Management Society.

I just returned from our World Wide Leadership Conference at BYU in Utah. After nine years of involvement I became the Chair of this global organization of 15,000 business professionals who are committed to growing moral and ethical leadership around the world. I started off by growing our Silicon Valley Chapter into a 1600 member organization from the original group of six members nine years ago. And now my goal is to double our world wide membership to 30,000 over the next two years. There’s no question in my mind that this will happen because that is what I do. I grow things. And I love every minute of it. To me it’s a fulfilling creative experience in which I engage others who are the real champions when it comes to making it happen.

And then of course there’s my rose garden. 250 bushes that are currently all in full bloom. But even that’s never ending. This weekend much to the dismay of my wife I’m ripping out the rest of our front lawn because I know I can cram at least 50 more rose bushes in there to add even more luster to my garden.

For me, growing things is an obsession. So, don’t get too close or you might turn into my latest project. Clients love it but my wife and kids? Not so much. I tend to drive them crazy with all this personal/professional development stuff. But like it or not they’re growing too with the birth of our tenth grandchild and the announcement of our 11th this coming April.

Growth is good, right? Right!!!

Like Growing A Garden

admin — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:19:59 +0000

For those of you who don’t know, I love to grow things! Especially if they look and smell like roses. Yes, 250 varieties and counting are already planted in my San Jose garden. My wife has threatened an intervention if I bring one more rose bush home. I just can’t help myself and somehow, someway I manage to squeeze them in with all the rest. And when all those roses bloom at the same time…it’s magical. An amazing feast for your senses.

It’s sort of like building relationships with contacts and clients. The more you plant and cultivate the fuller and more profitable your book of business becomes. But as in rose gardening most folks think that relationship building and marketing one’s practice takes some sort of supernatural green thumb or rainmaking talent. They believe it’s reserved for only the most elect of the elect. Not so! Anyone can have a beautiful rose garden and any accounting professional can have a pipeline flowing with new clients.

As in anything there’s a process. Follow the process and you get the results. If you’re not flush with new business opportunities you might want to examine your current process or lack there of. Time to change whatever it is that’s not working. And that’s where the Relationship Factor™ comes in.

My new proprietary program for helping accounting professionals and other professional service providers attract and develop new client relationships is now available to help you build your pipeline into a bigger book of business. It may not be a bed of roses but I’m going to teach you how to grow your business by growing your relationships – the life blood of any service professional’s business.

And maybe somewhere along the way you’ll learn to grow a rose or two and help support my compulsive rosarian habit. Hey, there’s worse habits aren’t there?  Joel

PS: My rose of the month…Neptune.